My Favorite Part! Sneaking in learning afterschool!

My Favorite Part Making Connections to
Literature by Drawing & Writing +Sub Plan

We want kids to keep learning afterschool, but in a fun way!  One of my sneaky ways is to get them to write and draw about their favorite part in a chapter book or picture book that I have read to them. 

They love to see these up on a bulletin board and show their parents.  The bonus is that they will also be able to recall the story and retell it, now that they have synthesized it into their own words and pictures.  Sneaky reading comprehension!!!  I have a worksheet available to make this process easier, including different size pages for different grade levels, at Teachers Pay Teachers, for only $1.25.  However, you could also make your own.

Quick Tip - Card Stock = Toilet Paper Tubes

You know how you find all of these cute projects to do with toilet paper tubes, but would have to save them for 5 years to get all of the tubes you need? Easy fix!  Use card stock, in any color, cut it to size and roll it.  Staple the top, bottom and middle.  Now you have the tube you need!

kidsactivitiesblog.com

from Kids Activities Blog

Marble Tubes Game

This Marble Tube Toilet paper Tube Craft allows children to get their hands dirty (with fine motor work) and then get tons of visual skill work (and fun) with it later on! From Kids Activity Blog

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Handwriting With Katherine

Fine Motor Skills

kidsactivitiesblog.com

from Kids Activities Blog

12 Toilet Paper Roll Crafts for Kids - Recycle Toilet Paper Tubes!

12 Toilet Paper Tube Crafts for Kids! I have never been able to put so many Pinterest craft ideas to use so quickly! The binoculars were an instant hit!

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Anjelica Eitel

Craft Ideas

abirdandabean.com

from A Bird and a Bean

cute owl craft

One Line Drawing Art Project SUPER FUN!

Click the image for a great site with lots of fun art projects.

 

I love this project because it is easy for all grade levels. Basically it is ONE line that does not cross over itself. Straight, squiggly, curvy, whatnot, just cannot go over another line and should fill up the page.  Once the page is full, draw some geometric shapes and chose similar colors to color each shape. 

To me the circles looked like planets.  If you are doing a space theme have the kids draw circles in different sizes and tell them what colors to do for the different sizes and they could cut them out and glue them onto a piece of dark blue construction paper.  Use yellow or white crayons to add stars!

http://splishsplashsplatterart.blogspot.ca/2011/10/longest-line-drawings.html

Teaching about Charity and Gratitute

I've talked about having an attitude of gratitude before.  This is one of the best times of year to teach that.

One of my most successful activities with kids has been "The Giving Jar". 

I took an ornament from a local giving tree and shared it with the children.  It was for a 13 year old girl who wanted art supplies for Christmas.  The kids decided that they wanted to help me buy her some items.  They asked if I had a box or jar where we could collect the money.

We started "The Giving Jar".  We talked each day about helping people and discussed ways to do that.  We talked about how we should be grateful for all of the wonderful things we have that most kids don't. (These were some pretty poor kids.)  And we discussed how if we work together, even a little gesture can become something big and wonderful.  The kids asked their parents if they could do odd jobs around the house for change.  We had about 25 kids at the time and in a few days we had over $200 dollars.  They decided we needed another ornament and so I picked up two more of kids who wanted books and a coat.  It was amazing to see kids come in with the entire contents of their piggy banks and all of their saved up birthday money.  I went out and bought items in my usual money saving style and we got each of those three kids an amazing Christmas with much more than they had asked for.  The kids also included pictures, notes of encouragement and I saw a couple sneak money in!  I love those kids.

Give kids the opportunity to be charitable, and they will.

Puzzles Puzzles Puzzles -Free Printables

I just got this great email from Activity Village...........

I hope you will have had a chance to explore Activity Village's Puzzles section! But just in case, I thought it might be useful if I give you a quick tour of what we currently offer. We are in the middle of a big expansion of the Puzzles section and I'm excited to tell you about some of the newest offerings... Our Puzzles section entry page is divided into 5 sections: 1. Featured puzzles 2. Puzzles by type (see below) 3. Online puzzle games 4. Puzzles by holiday 5. Puzzles by season Here's a brief guide to just some of the types of puzzle we offer. Sudoku for Kids: Activity Village was the first provider of Sudoku puzzles exclusively for children, and I'm really proud of our puzzles. We grade them very carefully so that children can start with the easiest and progress slowly, never coming across a puzzle which stumps them and puts them off. We have 4x4, 6x6 and 9x9 grids, as well as some fun Word Sudoku puzzles for many of the Holidays and Topics we cover. Mazes: Develop pencil control for the youngest children and keep older children busy and challenged with our large collection of printable mazes. Tangrams: These ancient Chinese puzzles ("seven pieces of cleverness") are challenging for all ages! Grid Copy Puzzles: I'm not sure that these are really puzzles in the conventional sense, but I've included them in the Puzzles section because they build concentration and counting skills! They are a fun way to learn to draw, too! Word Puzzles: We have a huge collection of the more conventional word puzzles, including word sea rches , word scrambles, word wheels, crosswords, how many words puzzles and more. And that's only a small taster of the puzzles already available at Activity Village. Please do explore some more! And if your kids love puzzles, or you'd like to build up a stack of printables for quick classroom fillers or rainy days, do consider signing up to our Daily Kids Puzzles Newsletter for a new puzzle, direct to your inbox, each weekday. Thank you for supporting Activity Village, and I hope you visit often! If you have any special requests or comments, just hit return on this email and drop me a line. With best wishes, Lindsay Small www.ActivityVillage.co.uk Keeping Kids Busy "No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted." Aesop

Holiday Printables

Sometimes you just gotta give 'em a coloring sheet! 

It's not my favorite.  I like activity sheets , activities and games that teach and enrich.  But, sometimes a fun coloring sheet that goes along with a theme is a perfect time filler, especially when they can help decorate a bulletin board or make the room more lively.  Coloring is fun, improves motor skills of little ones, can be a creative outlet, and is an easy activity.  Just don't depend on it day after day. Please.

 www.Reading-With-Kids.com has a great Thanksgiving page loaded with activities, puzzles, cards and even coloring sheets. 

I haven't gotten to explore much of the site yet, but it looks like a fun one with lots of good resources.  Add it to your favorites!

 

 

Teach them Gratitude

As child care providers, we aren't just there to be eyes on kids running around for 4 hours after school.  We have an opportunity a responsibility to enrich them as well. 

One of the fitting themes for this season, is to facilitate an "Attitude of Gratitude".  There are many ways to do this.

• Be an example! 
• Always the BEST way to teach something.  When you ask them to do something, say "Thank You, I appreciate that!" Once they have done it.
• Allow them to see you thanking people for every little thing that is done for you.
• Thank the custodian for getting the garbage.
• Thank the school secretary for bringing you a note.
• Thank parents for ______  when their child is picked up.
• Mention how grateful you are that someone did something or another for you today.
• Write Thank You notes
• I have my students discuss and decide on a person in our lives to thank each week.  I make a large card that they all sign and present to that person.
• They want to write cards to their teachers, principal, custodian, the mail man, local police, veterans, parents, etc.
• Do a service project.
• We have done several over the years, including cards for Veterans, visiting a nursing home and singing carols, collecting change to buy a child from a giving tree presents, helping the school facilitate the canned food drive, etc.
• Teaching Manners
• Once of the best ways to show gratitude is to be respectful.  Teaching students about common courtesy and manners is important because sometimes they don't even realize that they are being rude. 
• Thanksgiving is a great excuse to review table manners. 
• Have students use PROPER table manners at snack time, giving them the opportunity to ask for something to be passed, waiting until everyone has their food, or cleaning up after themselves.